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Straw bale modular walls, high-efficiency windows and bamboo floors help keep the Uher-Boodhoo family warm in their Pickering home while leaving a small environmental footprint. (Rene Johnston / Toronto Star)

A "window" in the kitchen reveals the stuffing in the straw-bale modular walls. (Rene Johnston / Toronto Star)

Watch the homeowners explain the ultra-green features of their eco-house.

The cloud of smoke that hung over the Uher family’s burning home four years ago actually had a silver lining.

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Thankfully, no one was hurt, Jason Uher is quick to point out. But rebuilding from scratch meant they could have their dream green home in which to raise their two young sons.

“My goal was to build a great house at an affordable price that would be healthy and contemporary,” says Uher, 40, who spent months researching planet-friendly features, materials and technology.

The house that rose from the ashes was a custom-built, 2,800-square-foot structure designed to snare the sun’s energy and reduce the family’s ecological footprint. With “three-quarters of the house coming from a farmer’s field,” it’s an example of local sustainability, says general contractor Scott Vanular, referring to the modular straw walls.

The city of Pickering was impressed enough to give them a civic award for sustainability in 2011. And the stunning showplace even hosted a delegation from China eager to learn about green building practices.

The house’s eco-friendliness is a far cry from that of its predecessor where Uher, a Toronto police officer, and his wife Michelle Boodhoo lived with their sons Alex, now 7, and Tye, 5.

Originally built in the 1930s as a weekend retreat for lawyers, the poorly insulated cabin-plus-addition in north Pickering devoured $4,000 worth of heating oil a year, says Uher, who had come home to find the roof in flames after picking up his kids from daycare that November day.

“The oil tanks had caught on fire and the house was pretty much done,” he recalls. “But the shock was realizing what could have happened” if anyone had been home.

The family’s eight-month-old puppy managed to escape the blaze, which was blamed on an electrical problem near the furnace below the children’s rooms.

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Despite its shortcomings, the house’s three hectares of wooded conservation land was a “pretty cool” space, says Uher, who had been looking at ways to heat it more efficiently.

While he didn’t know a lot about sustainable building methods, the outdoors and exercise enthusiast knew he wanted a house that would partner well with nature through its design, construction and aesthetics. A pretty stream running through the backyard, for example, was an important consideration in landscaping and positioning the house.

Uher, whose wife gave input on the planning and design, wanted to play a bigger role in the project than simply handing a wish list to the builder.

Vanular, a specialist in green building and sustainable development, calls Uher an “open-minded” client who was fully engaged every step of the way.

“It’s definitely one of the greenest homes we’ve built,” says Vanular, president of Construct & Conserve Building Inc., based in Aurora.

Just how green can be measured in several ways. For starters, the family’s heating bills have been cut 75 per cent to $1,000 a year.

A 98-per-cent efficiency furnace and masonry wood-burning heater, centrally located on the main floor, provide supplementary heating. But a built-in bake oven has generated more conversation than pizza, he laughs.

Ceiling fans on timers in every room keep the air circulating, says Uher, who’s not keen on man-made cooling systems.

In a “fusion of old and contemporary,” three of the house’s exterior walls are built of straw, a renewable construction material that goes back centuries, Uher says. Their home boasts an updated version in which prefabricated wall panels are put together like a sandwich, with concrete for bread and straw for the filling.

Created by NatureBuilt Wall Systems in Welland, Ont., the airtight, highly insulating panels are a “great idea” because they’re already sealed and built off-site before being installed, Uher adds.

To boost insulation value, all the closets were built on the north side. Ceilings are filled with EcoBatt R-50 insulation and the non-straw wall has high-insulating spray foam.

“We sealed the whole house up supertight,” says Vanular, who educates clients about what technologies and practices are good for the environment.

The roof is designed and engineered to support a green roof, which hasn’t been done yet.

A 600-square-foot, wrap-around deck delivers a multi-sensory experience that draws from the natural setting.

Inside, the couple’s goal of a modern, open-concept design is achieved through ceilings that soar to 16 feet at the highest point — even the basement is a minimum nine feet — and a colour scheme of cream, black and earth tones.

Floors that aren’t concrete are renewable bamboo, a family favourite for its durability and easy maintenance. Surfaces were covered with eco-friendly, non-toxic finishes such as the soy-based stain that Uher was able to apply to the concrete floor without wearing gloves.

He doesn’t disclose the final price tag, saying only that it cost no more than a conventional residence — a fact that keeps the shine on that silver lining.

Carola Vyhnak is a freelance writer living in rural Ontario. She can be reached at cvyhnak@gmail.com .

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